EXPERIMENTS WITH A VIEW TO CONTROLLING THE DISEASE. 



103 



of Esopus Spitzenberg sent to Doncaster Cool Stores on 12th April, just as they were picked from 

 the tree, and kept at a temperature of 30-32° Fahr., were opened on 27th May, about the time 

 when the Osterley arrived in London, and examined with the following results : — 



No. 1, containing 150 unwrapped apples, showed four distinctly pitted, but not to any 



great extent. The percentage of Pit was therefore 2*6. 

 No. 2, in which the apples were smaller than in the preceding, contained 195 wrapped 



apples, and with paper round case. There were five pitted, not badly, and the 



percentage was therefore also about 2*6. 

 No. 3 contained 155 apples, unwrapped, and they were all perfectly free from Bitter 



Pit. 



At Mr. Hatfield's orchard the four cases retained were likewise examined, the two kept in 

 ordinary storage being numbered 4 and 5, and the two under the Meakin process numbered 6 and 

 7. Of course the apples were not so firm and solid as those kept in cold storage. 



No. 4 contained 214 apples, of which none were pitted. 



No. 5 contained 133 apples, much larger than preceding, and therefore more likely to 



become affected. Of these, five were pitted, sometimes very noticeably, and the 



percentage was therefore 3* 7. 

 No. 6 contained 170 apples, of which three were pitted very slightly. The percentage 



was therefore less than 2 per cent. 

 No. 7 contained 157 apples, of which 12, mostly large apples, were moderately pitted ; 



the percentage was therefore 7*6. 



All these cases were still kept under the same conditions as at first, every apple being 

 free from any external marks of the Bitter Pit, and re-examined on 25th July, when the report 

 was received from London. 



Final Report on Esopus Spitzenberg Apples. 



This variety was chosen because it is particularly liable to develop Bitter Pit in store. The 

 fruit was picked in Mr. Hatfield's orchard, Box Hill, on 10th April, and nine cases were retained for 

 experimental purposes. 



Three cases were forwarded to Doncaster Cool Stores, to be kept at a temperature of 30-32° 

 Fahr. The apples in two cases were unwrapped, just as they were picked off the tree, and, in the 

 other, they were wrapped in paper and pre-cooled, the temperature being gradually reduced to 

 35-36° Fahr. before placing in cool chamber. Four cases were placed in Mr. Hatfield's fruit-room, 

 just as they were picked. 



Two cases were kept for sending to London, the apples being carefully wrapped in paper. 

 One case was pre-cooled, and both were kept at a temperature of 30-32° Fahr. until they were 

 forwarded on 18th April to s.s. Osterley, sailing for London on that date, and consigned to the 

 Agent-General. 



The s.s. Osterley arrived at Tilbury Docks on 25th May, being 37 days after leaving Melbourne. 

 A report was received from the Agent-General, dated 12th June, and the seven cases retained here 

 were examined on 25th July, or three and a half months after they were placed in store, and allowing 

 (sufficient time for them to have been sent to London and returned. 



Cool Storage. — The three cases were carefully examined, apple by apple, by myself in the 

 presence of Mr. French, Engineer-in-Charge, and Mr. Hatfield. Not a single apple showed Bitter 

 Pit, and they were in good marketable condition. Although trapping in paper prevents sweating, 

 and those wrapped are usually superior in quality to the unwrapped, there was no appreciable 

 difference in the few cases used in this experiment. 



